Finding ways to make jazz even more ecclectic and interesting than it already is might seem a creative challenge. There are so many ways in which jazz commands attention that finding a way to make it individually intriguing requires some alternative approach. For Echo Pearl Varsity, Portland’s jazz fusion post-rock hybrid group, that approach was near effortless and incredibly fitting.

It all started back in 2015, when lead songwriter Sam Luna, bassist Nolan Henderson and drummer Ian Taylor were working at a pizza shop together, yearning to add something original to Portland’s (and, the general) music scene. Once they were joined by saxophonist Levi Downey, Echo Pearl Varsity was complete, and their sophisticated innovation of post-fusion came to be.

Their EP Tragic Bronson debuted their mellow yet mercurial production but their first full length, Fires, takes it to the next level. Establishing the band as leaders in this avant category, Fires shows EPV as masterful yet mallable and commanding yet flexible, with a willingness to flow with the orchestrative freedom post-rock and jazz allow. They’ll be releasing an EP of cover songs in the next few months, coinciding with another tour.

Congrats to Echo Pearl Varsity for winning our poll and our hearts. Listen to Fires in full below. 

Thematically centered around social anxiety, personal loss and other relatable content, the second full length from The Dovecotes is more than aptly titled. Humorless speaks on sadder subject manner, with the music not always reaching as low.

Staying on their same course of jangly dream pop, Humorless is the perfect follow-up chapter for the near two year old quartet. Over the course of eight days the band recorded and stripped down their new set of songs to keep their same powerful chord progressions and dynamic arrangements, with the help of producer Skyler Norwood. The results are complex and at times a bit unpredictable, though still true to The Dovecotes sound.

Celebrate the release of Humorless, along with a new album from the band Team Evil, tonight at the Alberta Street Pub. Your next chance to catch The Dovecotes won’t be until the end of next month, during their show at the Secret Society with Risley and A Certain Smile. 

Post-rock is a beautiful genre, especially when it leans more towards the classical end of the spectrum. It’s one that really shows the depth of an artist or band’s talent, since at times it takes a little more effort to keep the fascination going. This isn’t a problem for new solo orchestrator James Randolph Fouty, recording under the moniker Sleeping Horses, who keeps interest piqued with his self-titled debut.

Each track is ambient magic in its own right, but one that stands out is "Rarely Has Reality Needed So Much To Be Imagined." Aside from its thought provoking title, "Rarely Has Reality…" builds up in sonic expansion without becoming too chaotic or losing its intrigue.

Give the song a listen below and check out the debut album from Sleeping Horses, out on Fluttery Records.

There’s no denying how influential Fleetwood Mac has been on the state of music, especially their seminal album Rumours, which reached its 40th anniversary this year. We’ve all taken to the album in varying ways, looking to it as inspiration for our own projects or as comfort needed in trying times. Regardless of what we turn to it for, Rumours and Fleetwood Mac have been and will continue to be some of the most influential facets in music of all time. It’s on this basis that Fleetmac Wood exists.

An interesting concept never really done before, Fleetmac Wood is a remix project and party including various DJs and fans who share a love of Fleetwood Mac. The party project isn’t meant to be a tribute, but more a dedication and celebration of it all by editing and remixing songs from the band’s extensive catalog. Its roots started down in an East London basement back in 2012, after a launch party for the release of a remix to "Dreams" by Psychemagik. Nothing has been the same since.

The Fleetmac fun is coming for its third time to Holocene on April 1, so we wanted to dig a little deeper into the project and how it’ll focus on Rumours specifically. We extended a couple questions to one of the DJs playing the Holocene rave, Lisa Jelliffe aka Roxanne Roll…

What made you decide on Rumours as the album to finally take on? 

Rumours is the ‘gateway’ drug for Fleetwood Mac fans. Since we started the remix project in London 2012, we’ve never made it the focus before as it felt too obvious and there is so much more material in their back catalogue. As the 40th anniversary of Rumours, it felt like the right time to acknowledge what a perfect album it is and give it a proper birthday party. It’s a four hour event so we play lots of other Fleetwood Mac tracks but around midnight we have a celebration and play exclusive remixes of Rumours tracks starting with Side 1, track 1.

As far as the musical approach taken to do the remixes, what was the inspiration behind it? Why a rave/club approach?

As DJs, dance music is a genre we love and have played for a long time and combining old with new feels perfectly natural. Most of the edits and remixes we play have a disco-leaning and a Balearic sensibility. Rock is a genre that was created to be played loud and danced to, it’s just that people are not used to hearing it in clubs. People really dance hard at our nights and lose themselves in the music. Because they have so many emotional connections with the songs, it’s a joyful release. It’s musical therapy.

What do you feel Rumours has done for the music world? What has it done for you personally?

Apart from creating a 40 year soundtrack to millions of lives, I think it’s helped women in music. Here’s a rock n’ roll band to rival The Eagles and The Rolling Stones that is not just men. Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie are both talented musicians and songwriters who stayed true to themselves and became world famous rock stars. It’s the multi-perspective songwriting that really gives Rumours depth. There’s a lot of authentic stories being told through the music.

Which song is your favorite remix and why?

There are loads of amazing ones and our friends Psychemagik have made some classics, but the one that I am excited to play right now is a new edit of "Silver Springs" that I created. I was really nervous to work on it as "Silver Springs" is my favourite Fleetwood Mac song. It famously never made the original vinyl and became a B side to "Go Your Own Way." I was never going to better the original but I think the feeling is still true to the song and it has gone down well at recent parties.

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Portland is such a Fleetwood Mac town that this rave party is sure to sell out quickly, so if you want to dance the night away to some remixes, purchase your tickets for April 1 Holocene show quickly here.

*photo by Reed Ricker

Conceptually speaking, the basis of Barra Brown‘s Poem Project is something to pay much attention to. Coming out on Cavity Search next month, Poem Project takes Barra Brown’s single "Poem" and sees it interpreted by eight different musicians from across the country. From members of groups like Ages and Ages, The Shins and Radiation City among others, Poem Project‘s participating artists breathe new life into an already amazing song.

Under a set of specific parameters, each artist was allowed to play with the original structure of the song while providing their own lyrics as part of the transformation. The one of particular focus today is from Los Angeles folk musician Gregory Uhlmann, who produced the softly intimate folk of "Poem No. 8: The Thread." Uhlmann’s orchestration has made for a beautifully minimal track, led by rich vocals and slow, warm instrumentation.

Listen to "Poem No. 8: The Thread" below and be on the lookout for Poem Project‘s release April 7.

 We’ve been asking for new music from shoegazy neo-psych post-punk outfit Daydream Machine for a little while now and after being teased with "Modern Prophecy" back in January, The Show Must Not Go On is finally here.

It technically dropped earlier this month with a video for the album’s first track "You Know Who" to go along with it, and a listening party running through the album a few days ago on St. Patrick’s Day. Tonight is when the big celebration takes place, since it’s the album release show along with the kickoff of their tour with Souvenir Driver.

Daydream Machine aren’t the only ones with new tunes, since Souvenir Driver have been hard working in the studio as well. They debuted their new emotive dream pop track "Dive" earlier in March, the first single shared from their upcoming self-titled fourth release, due out April 14. Catch more peeks into what the LP will sound like tonight at the tour kickoff, or at any of their stops while on the road.

TOUR DATES

03/21 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR

03/24 – The Sound Lounge – Grants Pass, OR

03/25 – Starlite – Sacremento, CA

03/26 – Elbo Room – San Francisco, CA

03/27 – Continental Room – Fullerton, CA

03/29 – Harvard & Stone – Los Angeles, CA

03/30 – The Pour House – Oceanside, CA

03/31 – Til-Two Club – San Diego, CA

Once one of if not the biggest genres of the ’90s, R&B was known for being the go-to soundtrack for making love and karaoke jams. R&B has been making a comeback lately, with many artists of a younger generation turning to the styles their parents loved (and possibly used to bring them into the world) to drive their musical creations. Portland’s arena for the style is pretty open, but local young’n TYuS wants to make sure we "never forget" him.

The title of his album, Never Forget is fuilled with tracks that incorporate the best of the new wave of trap beats and the sensual, archetypal sounds that serve as nostalgia for most of us. He must be doing something right since he’s now signed to Warner Brothers Records, but his more DIY approach to romantic hip hop is something we all can’t help but appreciate. TYuS doesn’t play around Portland much but whenever he does, panties are sure to drop.

In all the ways modern bands call back to classic styles, there seems to be one  group whose elements aren’t as directly in use or recognized. Of course, The Beatles can be considered a band influential to everyone, whether direct elements and nods can be heard in an act’s songs or not. But one of Portland’s newest outfits, Necklace, take it to another level by creating soundscapes that call back to the group that invented fandemonium.

Not much is really known about Necklace, and they seem to like it that way. Little active online presence makes for a mysterious air about the band, leaving current and potential fans with some tweets, a couple of tracks and a series of gawdy but enjoyable pic art to use as profile pictures. Looking past their aesthetic, Necklace produce modern indie based in ’60s pop. Their lyrics are driven by sarcasm that slightly offsets the lighthearted feel to their sounds, but somehow the package works as a whole. We’re excited to watch them grow into one of the more bigger acts in town.

*photo by Eric Evans

All the little bits of sunshine we’ve the last couple days have been absolutely amazing, but the newest video and album from our favorite sunny shoegaze/ocean grunge outfit Sea Fuzz makes this Vitamin D daze we’re all in even better.

The perfect follow up to 2015’s self-titled EP, Sky Gazing is just the record we need going into the warmer months, boasting sounds reminiscent of rocking out to crashing waves while relaxing on the shoreline. Take the first single and video to come from the album, "Garuda Dreams," a gazed out track heavily led by forceful drumming and chaotic cymbal hits as an example. The track’s light drenched sound is due in part its mixing, with the Om‘s drummer Emil Amos contributing to it.

"For this song, I was privileged to seek out the help of one of my favorite musicians of all time, Emil Amos, to help with the mixing and mastering," says Ben Heckler, the soul of Sea Fuzz. He goes on to say: "I gave the track to Amos and he completely transformed it, adding the perfect amounts of lo-fi grittiness to the vocals, guitar and drums. He really understood the aesthetic from the get-go and he knew precisely what the song needed to remain heavy and powerful, yet dreamlike."

Watch the trippy video for "Garuda Dreams" below. Sea Fuzz will be playing some shows locally and in Europe in support of Sky Gazing, out on Spirit Goth. Stream the album on Sea Fuzz’s Soundcloud and Bandcamp pages. 

Not all that glitters in the bright eyes of youth is gold, and Alexandra Savior seemingly proved that to herself. The 21-year-old songstress has a velvety croon that melts into your ears like butter, but the soothing comfort listeners get from her vocals didn’t comfort the sadness in her own soul.

Right out of high school, Savior moved from the Portland suburb of Vancouver, Wa to Los Angeles to jump start her music career. Her trip was successful, quickly granting her a record deal with Columbia Records and a creative partnership with Alex Turner, the frontman for the Artic Monkeys, but while positivity was coming from all directions work wise, Savior felt there was a social disconnect between her and her new Los Angeles peers. She even told local paper Willamette Week how she thought many of them were "the devil or something" because of her youthful insecurities.

But she’s turned all of those woeful feelings into inspiration for her songs. Think Lana Del Rey meets Kate Bush, Savior’s tracks have themes of heartache and regret, living up fully to the designation of melancholy pop. Her debut album, Belladonna of Sadness is due out next month.

Portland is rich with many things, particularly wealthy people. Though the city is becoming incredibly gentrified and the few diverse cultures we used to have are being steadily pushed out, the music and creative community is trying its hardest to hold on to its roots. Musically speaking, the city isn’t in any way wealthy with rappers, but Danielseventwo has firmly kicked his foot through the door.

At just 21 years old, Danielseventwo (aka 72) has been coming up in the rise of Soundcloud rappers, sticking to rhyming about what he knows about while others tend to use their bars for flexing on faux memories. His tracks swing between slower paced jams and quickly delivered flows, offering great variance by keeping listeners intrigued. He’s dropped two EPs and a number of popping singles, including one of his newest trap heavy bangers "Priceless." Hopefully we’ll be seeing more from him soon.

 There’s a certain beauty that comes with creating something all on your own, especially when it comes to music. Marisa Anderson takes that beauty and runs with it, mastering various instruments including including guitar, lap steel and slide to produce a very veracious and particular compositions. 

Often improvised, Anderson’s emotive, mercurial sounds flow through different genre styles like Delta blues, gospel and old school Americana. She uses no effects or looping, making her productions even more personable, even granting collaborations with Mirah and Beth Ditto among others. 

She hasn’t played a show locally in a little while, but at least those enjoying SXSW will get to catch her live.